Experts in government, law, development tackle political stability at 2015 Aelex lecture
Social crisis and political instability have been identified by some as one of the ensuing effects of ethnicity in Nigeria. In some quarters, it is perceived as a direct deterrent to the economic development of the nation.
Whether this is true or not will form the basis of discourse at the 2015 Aelex Annual Lecture, where leading experts in policy, government, law and business will meet on Wednesday, October 28, to tackle fundamental issues arising from the nation’s political development and the implications of inter-ethnic relations in a pluralistic society like Nigeria’s.
Following a presentation by Bolaji Akinyemi, former minister of external affairs, on the theme ‘Politics, Democracy and Ethnicity,’ which will set the tone for what promises to be a highly engaging lecture, the discussants, Sa’idu Ahmad Dukawa of the Department of Political Science, Bayero University Kano, and Yemi Adamolekun, a social media activist, will address vital issues on the theme. This includes, how the aspirations of minority and majority ethnic groups affect the political stability of a nation.
Traditionally, an open invitation event with no fees required, the lecture will draw a wide array of policy makers, regulators, the business community, key stakeholders in the public and private sectors and the media to the annual event on the recital Hall of the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos, to listen to a distinguished panel shed light on the latent role of ethnicity in politics and democracy in a lecture chaired by Ike Nwachukwu, retired major general.
The ǼLEX Lecture is an annual event to commemorate the formation of ǼLEX Legal Practitioners & Arbitrators in 2004, borne out of a merger of four leading law firms with diversified practice areas.
The first of the firm’s annual lecture series commenced in 2005 with the theme, “The Regulator in a Deregulated Economy.” Others were, “Competition Policy as an Engine for Economic Growth”- (2006); “Corporate Governance: Who profits?” – (2007); “Freedom of information: Balancing the Public’s right to know against the individual’s right to privacy”- (2008); “How Ghana Kept the Lights On” – (2009), “Taxation without Representation” – (2010), Corruption, the Thief in Broad Daylight” (2011); “This House Must Not Fall: Constitutional Reform and the People’s Will” – (2012); “In God’s Name: Politics, Religion and Economic Development.” (2013).
In 2014, to commemorate its 10th anniversary, the firm hosted a dinner alongside an IPFA West Africa discourse titled, “Urban infrastructure- lessons from the international community for Nigeria and Africa. The firm has now returned with a fresh series of the lecture, set to provide enlightenment and intellectual fodder.
A leading international law firm based in Nigeria with offices in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja and Accra, Ghana, Aelex was recently named Nigeria’s Law firm of the Year by one of the world’s leading legal referral guides, was also ranked as a top-tier firm in seven key practice areas in its latest rankings for Nigeria by the IFLR 1000 – a global Guide to the World’s Leading Financial Law Firms. The areas include, Mergers & Acquisition; Infrastructure; Oil and Gas; Banking; Energy; Project Finance; and Capital Markets.
AELEX supports “Child lifeline” a Nigerian charity geared towards taking children from the streets and providing better quality of life as part of its corporate social responsibility.
THEODORA KIO-LAWSON